Card punching and slotting machine



March 7, 1939. E. G. CORCORAN 2,149,533

' CARD PUNCHING AND SLOTTING MACHINE I I Filed April 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l F 'i 1. 80 28 2Q 31 COUNTING GEARS NUMBER \35 No. 50043I.

IN VEN TOR EDWARD G. CORCORAN.

March 7, 1939;

E. G. CORCORAN CARD P UNCHING AND SLOTTING MACHINE Filed April 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, EDWARD 6. CO/PCORAN.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 7, 1 939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,149,583 CARD PUNCHING'AND SLOTTING MACHINE Edward G. Corcoran, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Sanford D. Buster, Jr., Sausallto, Calif. v

Application April 26,

2 Claims. My invention relates to punching and slotting machinery, and more particularly to a device for slotting numerical codes on punched cards 3 such as described and claimed in the Perkins provide a machine for slotting numerical codes v on punch cards; to provide a machine which will punch or slot cards or their equivalents with apertures positioned to represent a code; to provide a machine which will consecutively slot punched cards; to provide a machine which will selectively slot code numbers on punched or unpunched cards; to provide a machine which will punch'apertures in a card in pre-selected positions; and to provide a simple and effective machine for coding cards for the recording of various data.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent or will be specifically pointed out, in the description forming a part of this specification, but I do not limit myself to the embodiment of the invention herein described, as various forms may be. adopted within the scope of the claims. --;'-,The Perkins patents above referred to cover a card for the recording of data thereon by punching a series of regularly positioned apertures around the edge thereof. These apertures are selectively slotted. tothe edge to record the desired data, so that when a stylus is passed through a stack of cards all those cards which are slotted will not be picked up by the stylus, whereas those which have not been slotted in that particular location will remain on the stylus.

Heretofore, cards punched as described have usually been slotted by hand and the code out through to, the edge of the card with a hand punch. It is obvious that hand slotting does not lead to speed in operation nor to accuracy, and the main objective of the present invention is to provide a machine which will slot codes on the punched cards with complete accuracy and in fast time.

1nasmuch as cards having numerical codes slotted. thereon form a large portion of the usefulness of such cards, I will describe my invention as applied to consecutive slotting of a prior punched card. Thus, each card passing beneath the device can have a different code number slotted thereon, preferably in consecutive 1937, Serial N0. 138,878 (Cl. 164-111) numerical order. However, instead of slotting the numbers into the card in numerical order, I may desire to set up any predetermined number and punch a single card with that number at one operation.

Itis obvious, in the discussion herein and in the claims, that I do not wish to be limited to the actual slotting-of a punched card, inasmuch as there are cards used wherein the coding is provided by the punched apertures themselves, the cards being utilized by making electrical contacts through the apertures, or by utilizing the cards as valves in a plurality of air lines, similar to the operation of a player piano roll, My invention, therefore, is deemed to apply to any out in a card where the position determines the code, whether or not the aperture is extended to the edge of the card or is completely surrounded by card material. The word slotting is used herein to describe the cutting of the card all the way to the edge, whereas punching is used to describe the formation of apertures surrounded by card material.

Broadly, my invention comprises a series of adjacent and aimed slotting or punching dies, with provision for placing the card immediately beneath the dies. series of coded die whe'els having a plurality of faces, the faces being cut out over a die if it is not desired that the particular die is to cut the card. The faces of the wheels are not cut out over the die that is to cut the card.

. Each face of the die wheel is recessed to represent a number, and when the face is brought to bear upon the upper ends of the dies, the dies 'are forced through the card in accordance with the position of the recesses in the die wheel. I prefer to utilize a numerical system of coding, and therefore provide ten faces on each wheel, with as many wheels as there are digits in the code. For example, numbers up to and including the one hundred thousands may be obtained by utilizing six wheels.

My invention may be more easily understood by direct reference to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational'view of a consecutive slotting machine.

, Figure 2is a plan view of a coded, punched and slotted card.

Figure 3 is a side view of the machine shown in Figure 1, partly in elevation and partly in section.

Figure 4 is a planar view of the-entire periphery of a recessed die wheel.

In the drawings the slotted punches, the faces The dies are operated by aall shown as carrying numerals; these numerals are the actual numerals of the code and are indented directly in the material of the various members, whereas the reference numerals are shown outside the members, in order to avoid confusion. 4

Again referring to the drawings, a die plate I is provided with a series of alined die apertures 2.

immediately above each aperture is a slotting die 3 held in a die guide 4. Inasmuch as the slotting dies are to .be positioned close'together along the line of the slotting apertures, I prefer to :utilize fore and aft die return springs 5 on each slotting die. Each slotting die is also providd with a beveled cutting surface 6 and a hardened upper terminal I.

Mounted immediately over the line of slotting dies is a reciprocating wheel axle 8, mounted in rectangular bearings 9, the latter operating in slots ill in side members ll of the frame of the machine. Side members II are joined across the top of the machine by a top plate l2.

Mounted on the reciprocating wheel axle 8 are a plurality of rotatable die wheels ll, provided with ten faces l5 of equal area, each face having therein die recesses l6. The arrangement of these recesses will be explained later.

Each wheel is arranged to .revolve separately upon the die wheel axle 8, and each wheel is provided with a thin star gear I1 which is en-- gaged by teeth of similar gears projecting from a counting gear assembly 20. This counting gear assembly is similar to any consecutive numberskilled in the. art,

The counting gear assembly is operated by the usual ratchet arm 25 connected to the top plate l2 by ratchet link 26. The counting geardie wheel assembly is reciprocated in a vertical plane through the medium of connecting rods 21 journaled to each end of the die wheel axle 8, and operated by crank arms 28 mounted on an overhead axle 29 driven by motor 30 through the medium of reduction gears 3|.

Referring directly to Figure 2, I have shown a portion of the punched, coded card 35. The card is provided with grouped apertures 36, there being four in each group. The groups represent in order units, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. The four holes in each group are numbered '7, 4, 2 and 1 respectively, because any combination from 1 to 9 may be obtained by two cuts. For? example, in the card shown, the unit group of punched apertures is slotted so that the hole 1 extends to the edge of the card. The ten group has both the numeral 2 punch and the numeral 1 punch extended to the edge, thus setting up code numeral 3; the hundred group has hole 4 slotted out to the edge, whereas the one hundred thousand group has apertures representing 4 and l slotted out, giving the total number of v5. The number slotted on the card, therefore, is 500,431. This card has just been slotted by the machine, leaving the machine set up for 500,432.

of the die wheels, and the counting gears, are

The manner in which the die wheel faces are recessed to slot the number desired is shown in Figure 4, the recesses being cut into the respective faces in accordance with the code. Each face of the wheel is divided into four areas, and slotting die recesses sufflciently large to receive the terminals I of the slotting dies are out therein, these recesses being diflerently positioned on each face, and positioned in reverse of the code it is desired to cut and corresponding with the code set up on the card. For example, the face of the wheel'designed to slot number 1 out of the card is provided with three recesses, the face of the wheel directly over die number 1 being left untouched. Thus, when the wheel is placed with that particular face over the four dies immediately below it, and the wheel is moved downwardly to engage the termini of the four ,dies, three of the dies representing 7, 4 and 2, will not move because their termini will enter the recesses in the wheel face, whereas the die representing number .1 will be engaged by the wheel and forced downwardlythrough the card, which is placed in proper slotting position beneath the row of dies and spaced properly by card stops 32 positioned at each end of the row of slotting dies.

As the, die wheels move away from the dies the card just slotted is taken out, a newcard inserted, and the unit wheel is rotated by the counting mechanism so that face number 2 is presented to the dies. This face has the recesses so spaced that only the'number 2 die will bev carried downwardly by the wheel, and therefore the number 2 aperture in the card will be slotted out to the edge. On the next stroke, number 3 face will be presented, and here there will be only two recesses in the face, so positioned that both numbers 1 and 2 dies will be carried through the card, slotting out apertures 2 and 1. Each reciprocation of the die wheels will bring a new face of the unit die wheel to bear against the dies, and when the unit die wheel has made one complete revolution, the next wheel, representing the tens, will rotate one face, and so on, so that when the cards are changed between each reciprocation, a complete consecutive'set of slotted cards is obtained, with no attention other than to feed the cards between .reciprocations. This feed may be manual or automatic, in accordance with printing press practice. 7

While I have shown my slotting device as utilized for the consecutive slotting of cards, it -is obvious that with only minor changes it may also be utilized for the slotting of any predetermined number. In this case the automatic counting gears may be omitted, and arrangements made for manually rotating each die wheel so that the number desired is set up on the wheels. One reciprocation is then made against an unslotted card, with the result that the card will be slotted in accordance with the predetermined number.

It is further obvious that electrical or keyboard arrangements may .be made to rotate the die wheels into any predetermined codenumber, if desired. Furthermore. while I have described mydevice as being provided with slotting dies whereby apertures already punched in a card may be slotted to the edge thereof, it is obvious that a blank card may be punched with apertures coded in any desired way, or the cards slotted without being pre-punched. This result is obtained by making the slotting dies 3 with a round or other desired contour, placing the card beneath the punches, and setting the die wheels to a predetermined number. Such cards will have apertures appearing in positions varying in accordance with the setting of the die wheels, and these cards may be used in electrical, pneumatic, or other sorting devices where coded cut cards of this character are commonly used.

I claim:

1'. Means for cutting cards or the like in coded positions comprising a plurality of cutting dies having termini alined in a single row, a plurality of die wheels, each wheel having a. plurality of planar faces, andbeing rotatable to present a face to one or more of said termini, said faces having recesses therein to receive one or more of said termini in accordance with a predetermined code, means for rotating each wheel to set up a combined recess code presented to said termini, means for positioning a card beneath said dies, means for reciprocating said wheels as a unit to cause certain of said termini to'engage the unrecessed portions of said faces and move said engaged dies through the edge of said card to form open slots along said edge, and means for changing the faces of said wheels presented to said termini between reciprocations.

2. Means for cutting cards or the like in coded position comprising a plurality of cutting dies having termini alined in a single row, a plurality of die wheels, each wheel having a plurality of planar faces, and being rotatable to present a face to one or more of said termini, said faces having recesses therein to receive one or more of said termini in accordancewith a predetermined code, means for rotating each wheel to set up a combined recess code presented to said termini, means for positioning a card beneath said dies, means for reciprocating said wheels as a unit to cause certain of said termini to engage the unrecessed portions of said faces and move said engaged dies through the edge of said card to form open slots along said edge, and means for changing the faces of said wheels presented'to said termini between reciprocations and in consecutive order in accordance with the predetermined code.

EDWARD G. CORCORAN. 

